I fell into writing about health shortly after grad school, where I realized I didn't want to work in a lab for the rest of my life! My areas of interest are the brain and behavior, as well as what influences the decisions we make about our health, and how the media helps and hinders people's understanding of health issues. As an undergraduate, I studied English Literature and Biopsychology at Vassar College, and got my PhD in Biopsychology and Behavioral Neuroscience at CUNY's Graduate Center in New York City, where I grew up and live now. My day job is as Associate Editor with the health website, TheDoctorWillSeeYouNow.com. My work has appeared in several other publications, including TheAtlantic.com and YogaGlo.com, and I'm particularly excited to join the Forbes health team. Email me at alicegwalton [at] gmail [dot] com .

The concern over synthetic drugs has come to a head in recent months, according to experts, and evidenced by events in Miami last weekend. On Saturday, Rudy Eugene was fatally shot by police for gruesomely and repeatedly biting into another man’s face. President of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police Armando Aguilar believes that bath salts, a synthetic drug, is an underlying culprit in Eugene’s disturbing attack.

Bath salts are highly addictive and apparently elicit intense cravings similar to methamphetamines. They act on the brain like other stimulants, and are sometimes referred to as a “cocaine substitutes.” Also known as “White Rush, Cloud Nine, Ivory Wave, Ocean Snow, Charge Plus, White Lightning, Scarface, Hurricane Charlie, Red Dove, White Dove, and Sextasy,” their most common side effects are agitation, fast heart rate, and hallucinations and delusions, seizures, high blood pressure, and paranoia, according to the CDC. Deaths have also been linked to the drug.

“These substances are among the worst poison centers have ever seen,” said director of the Louisiana Poison Center, Mark Ryan. “The psychosis seen in some users is truly remarkable, in a very scary way. People high on these drugs have done some bizarre things to themselves and hurt others around them. It’s important that parents and young people understand just how dangerous these synthetic drugs are.”

Last fall, the Drug Enforcement Administration banned bath salts and their active ingredients, mephedrone, methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), and methylone. “This action demonstrates our commitment to keeping our streets safe from these and other new and emerging drugs that have decimated families, ruined lives, and caused havoc in communities across the country,” said Michele M. Leonhart, DEA Administrator. “These chemicals pose a direct and significant threat, regardless of how they are marketed, and we will aggressively pursue those who attempt their manufacture and sale.”

The drugs are generally snorted, taken by mouth, or injected. One recent CDC study found that the majority of 35 patients brought to the ER for overdose had injected the drug. The same report suggested that for the one person who died from it, that MDPV was the chemical most likely linked to the death. Many of patients also had other drugs, like cocaine, benzodiazepines, opiates, marijuana, or amphetamines, in their systems at the time.

Bath salts are sold at convenience stores, “head shops,” and gas stations, or may be purchased on the Internet. They are often mislabeled to avoid detection by officials, and their labels may read “Not Intended for Human Consumption,” according to the CDC.

The government has had a hard time keeping up with synthetic drugs, as has been seen with synthetic marijuana in recent years. Calls to poison control centers for synthetic drug-related emergencies have risen drastically over the last several years, according to the American Association for Poison Control Centers (AAPCC): In 2010, there were 3,200 calls to poison control, and this number rose to over 13,000 in 2011. Perhaps incidents like recent episode in Miami will bring the drugs’ neurological effects to public consciousness, and help spur officials to crack down on bath salts at their source – the people who concoct them in underground labs. But time will tell how the issue will evolve from here.

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Throughout History People All Over the World have found Ways to Get High. Some Drugs are REALLY HARMFUL – even in Small Doses – like Tobacco – which is ADDICTIVE and Causes Cancer and Other Diseases – AND have NO BENEFICIAL EFFECT. Then there is Alcohol which is ADDICTIVE and DEADLY in Large Does but harmless to Beneficial in Small doses. Then there is Cannabis or Marijuana – Which is a VALUABLE COMMERCIAL CROP for Hemp Fiber and Seed – and when smoked is HARMLESS or Beneficial to many with health problems- so it is illegal?

stop being an endorser for the stupidest drug around. no one gets high off marijuana. they just get retarded. trust me i’ve lost my jobs so many times cause i was high and decided that computer programming was just “too hard”. well not any more i’m never gonna smoke again. and we’ll see who can force who to do shit they don’t like. if your gonna legalize something legalize cocaine

The inaccurate name actually belies the seriousness of the drug. The average person hears “bath salts” and thinks of those little bottles of colored rocks in Grandma’s bathroom. Instead of recognizing the danger of this substance, it can be written off as one of those urban legend fads (vodka-soaked tampons, snorting nutmeg, etc.) that’s the subject of bimonthly hand-wringing re: kids today and their out-of-control ways.

A toxicology report and a determination of whether Rudy Eugene had a history of mental health problems or violent behavior seem relevant before you imply that a horrific crime was caused solely by a drug.

Sensational headlines that turn out to be unfounded undermine the efforts to educate people about the risks of drugs.

like instead of tell people the name of the drug lets just call it “bath salts” cause it’s more helpful than saying which individual drug it was.

cause u know that’s what they do MDPV is illegal in florida now so it couldn’t be that it would have to be one of the others. that makes you eat people? which one is that oh yeah. we gotta blame these actions on a drug. of course.

cause when people take a drug they have no more soul. the body sorta takes over. and bodies are like evil u know

these and other drugs that have been distributed by russian mafia and sold even in smoke store in sunny isles florida and other drugs in the pharmacy right next door that are manufactured in russia,and after reporting to the town manager he said to call health department and the mayor said that he spoke to the police chief and the town is in good shape,and the entire world is aware that most of the brooklyn mafia has relocated to sunny isles beach florida,and has been doing real estate and mortgage fraud from there and yes medical fraud and every crime there is,and federal law entitys are just 3 minutes away but many many years behind…..

This is silly. Bath Salts ARE illegal in Florida and what did that do to prevent this nut from losing his marbles??? Legalize all drugs and use the money we waste on this war on the citizens of this country to begin intensive research and education of the public to the harms that drugs cause. The programs will pay for themselves through the tax revenues. People will always find a way to alter their state of mind and laws do not get in their way, they just create a black market which causes more crimes and murders than if you just let people use.

This is sensational reporting pure and simple. No mention whatsoever in this article that the guy was crazy to begin with. It even quote the DEA, the same group that sees medical marijuana as a nationwide threat. There are over 50,000 alcohol-related emergencies each year according to the American Association for Poison Control Centers (AAPCC). Not to defend bath salts but it’s amusing all the media don’t address all the violence and bizarre behavior related to alcohol use. I guess they can afford to turn a blind eye when it comes to their advertising profits from alcohol industry.

Better the devils we know than these new concoctions. Legalize all currently illegal drugs. If we did that we wouldn’t have heard of “bath salts”. The war on drugs causes more direct and indirect casualties than we would have under legalization.

When they are all contraband then there are no effective countermeasures against using poisons as substitutes. People have always sought states of altered consciousness and they always will.

The sooner a society accepts this fact and enacts reasonable regulations on the known popular recreational drugs the sooner poisonous substitutes will disappear.

I lost my brother to a self inflicted accidental overdose of Oxycontin so I know the downsides but I will gladly accept the availability of recreational drugs of known quality any day over laws which encourage some to find alternatives which are not safe. We lose far more people from a failure to use seat belts than we do to currently illegal drugs. No One has ever died from a Cannabis overdose(that is impossible). All the casualties that have been recorded can be ultimately traced back to the black market underground distribution in fights for market share and internecine neighborhood turf wars. The actual numbers of deaths directly related to illegal drug overdoses is extremely small. And remember, the more things societies criminalize the greater power and influence we give to both the enforcement agents and those in the illegal trade. We lose our rights; they get richer or a greater share of our taxes.

It can not be repeated often enough that prohibition fails and always strengthens criminal enterprises. The latter always end up becoming a part of the legal economies after they launder and invest in legitimate enterprises which they ultimately subvert. Drug legalization, as soon as possible, is our greatest weapon against organized crime.

Being retired Law Enforcement / Investigator with 36 yrs experience. IT Pains me to see how our nation has morally deteriorated due to the un natural craving for drug induced entertainment by those who are too stupid to understand or care about the results. And those Criminals pushing Drugs of all kinds on our youth and adults in this Country There is an est. 22 Million Drug Addicts in the US Alone. At least 85 % of the Crime is committed by Drug Addicts or those casually using illegal drugs in this nation alone. IF Those Pushing the Drug Culture Legalization would take this into account, and it would be put on a National Election Ballet, THEY would Be Voted Down by the General Population. I have seen people driving vehicles having Drug Induced Flashbacks, weaving all over the interstate, causing accidents, killing others or themselves. Innocent bystanders, mothers with children killed by Drug Gang Members doing Drive By Shootings. Burglaries, Carjackings, Rapes, Murders, even Shoplifting caused by the desire and need of Addicts wanting money for Drugs. IF this Illegal USE of Drugs were Eliminated. Then the Criminal Drug Cartels in Mexico and in the US would go out of Business. Eliminate the Customers, there would be No Dealers.

In New Hampshire, there was an established Special Drug Court. In which the Suspect would have to agree to pleading Guilty and be put into a Drug Treatment Program. In one year, while this program was run. There were Only 12 Cases Referred to that Court. And the Program was Just Suspended last week. Because, Out of the 12 only 5 made a Clean Break from Their Criminal Addiction. Turned their Lives Around, got Clean, Sober, found Jobs and became Productive Citizens again. The Other 7 Never Made it, most Reverted to their Old Drug Use and Criminal Behavior in order to Support it. And were Returned to Prison. The State Judicial System Suspended the Special Drug Court Permanently. The Recividism Rate Proved the Rehabilitation Program Didn’t Work to justify the expense to the Taxpayers. THEREFORE the War on Drugs, should be Retitled a War on CRIME. As the Criminal Drug Gangs Must be Eliminated Permanently.

Comment on the Fla Case in which the “Zombie Cannibal” attacked and actually physically Ate the flesh off a living human being. IF the Passers By had actually Called the Police Dispatcher Sooner, If enough of them Stopped and Jumped the Attacker, Chances are the Homeless Man would have been better off. AND hate to Say, it, Face the Facts, If the Police Officer Shot the Attacker in the HEAD the first shot, instead of shooting him 5 times, the Attack would have ended Then and there. Little consolation for the Victim.

This should give the general population Grave Concern of the effect of Illegal Drug Use and should be used as an example Against the Legalization of Illegal Drugs. There is NO Logical Reason or Excuse for Illegal Narcotics to be made Legal. These Horrific Drugs have no Redeeming Value to any Civilized Society. They only Lower the users to the lowest common base of existence not even on the level of Human Socialization. They have no redeeming value to any human society. Those people who continue to use Illegal Narcotics have a Mental Defect in their Personality. A failure of Moral and Ethical responsibility not only to themselves, their families but to the rest of society as a whole. Our Nation is being destroyed from within literally because of these dismal criminal behavior. Time for the General Population to Wake up to this fact and put a stop to it one way or another. Otherwise, genetic damage to our population will destroy them on the level of the Black Plague in Europe during the Middle Ages. Civilization is being destroyed piecemeal as long as this continues.

what i think about all the people that think about the people who think its bathsalts thats causing the attacks is they must be brainwashed or something because the only thing they found in eugenes blood was a little trace of marijuanna.

While police sources speculated that the use of a street drug like “bath salts” might have been a factor,[3] and experts have expressed doubt as to their definitiveness, toxicology reports were only able to identify marijuana, and the ultimate cause of Eugene’s behavior remains unknown.[4] WP